Tag Archives: Taylor Momsen

It is a simply splendid day here at the Prepatorium, so let’s dive right into things! (The sooner we finish the sooner you-know-who can scoot outside!)

We want to do a quick reminder about the Lilly Pulitzer sale at RueLaLa; things sell out so quickly at these sites it is best to mention it right off the top so anyone interested in adding to their walk-in can head in that direction.

RueLaLa is one of those ‘invite only’ online sale sites that have sprung up recently. If you aren’t yet a member, use the special Princess code to join: go to RueLaLa.com, at the prompt select “Invited by a Member” and then enter this as the email address to get in: VIP@ruelala.com.

Now, Lilly isn’t the only sale at RueLaLa, they are also doing CC Skye.

Both sales end Saturday night.

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Next, word on some interesting moves by upscale retailers, Tiffany & Henri Bendel. Let’s start with the store-we-once-adored,Tiffany. (Surely you remember this dreary tedious episode and yes, of course we continue wallowing in our snit.)

News came late yesterday that Tiffany is buying bankruptcy-challenged Lambertson Truex (see the middle of this post if seeking more details) from Samsonite. This could make perfect sense for both companies, as this story on the WWD site explains:

“Lambertson and Truex will explore the development of a collection of leather accessories for Tiffany & Co.”

Remember our posts last summer about these outstanding totes? (NOTE: We have linked to them as a courtesy but they are no longer available.)

Courtesy Tiffany.com

It makes perfect sense to us; there may well be many more pieces in this color.

As far as Bendel goes, they are going to stop selling clothing and shrink the 5th Avenue flagship store as today’s WWD reports:

“The Fifth Avenue flagship will be reduced in size from three to two selling floors, offering accessories, handbags, jewelry, gifts, beauty and fragrance…”

“There’s lots of iconography, like our [brown and white] stripes…

TRANSLATION: Probably more of this sort of thing.

Now mind you, TP has long been fond of Bendel’s iconic brown and white stripes, along with the Bendel Girl. We just don’t care to see them on our teapot every day, be it by Villeroy and Boch at Bendel or from Target. So our guess is the company will roll out more logofied merchandise moving forward.

We do want to alert everyone there is a sale on some goods at Bendel, including the Henri Bendel Mini Notebooks. (We confess to a soft spot for these, in previous years they have made a great gift.)

They are fun because of their names: Bliss List, Me, Me, Me, Thin, Rich, and Fabulous, and Worth Waiting For. Previously selling at $25, the notebooks are now $12.50.

Perhaps if we hold hands and sing Kumbaya our fears about raging attacks of Logophobia will prove to be unfounded. What do you think?

Brooks Brothers Friends and Family event begins Saturday, providing a 30% discount on merchandise, ending Monday, May 11. Use promo code FRIEND79 or FRIEND 81 to receive the discount, or go to BrooksBrothers.com/friends. By the way, if in need of the code to receive an additional 20% of sale merchandise at J. Crew, use promo code EXTRA20 at checkout.

Earlier this week we promised to share a couple of the Kate Spade Fall 2009 looks, and then were derelict in our duty! As we mentioned previously, this collection is vital for the designer, as it includes her first foray into the clothing market. NOTE: All photos by Kyle Ericksen & Women’s Wear Daily.

Many pieces display the classic lines and tailoring associated with Kate Spade designs.

The presentation used both models and mannequins to showcase the fashions. From what we were able to glean there are hits and misses, as one expects in a first effort.

In keeping with the Spade tradition, there are also outstanding accessories in this fall’s collection.

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen

These appear to be pretty much in keeping with previous collections, in lush, rich colors, along with a touch of whimsy.

Clearly many items for serious consideration this fall!

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Most fashionistas know today is an enormous date on the fashion calendar.

The often over-the-top emporium is an awful lot of fun to browse though, and we cannot wait to pop into this one, hopefully in May. This story from WWD explains the retailer’s pricing strategy:

“In another break from retail tradition, Topshop will have none of the ubiquitous markdowns seen everywhere in retailing. The company stages only four sales a year and otherwise won’t price promote, though the store will be offering students a 10 percent discount.”

And for the men, there is Topman. The UK version of GQ recommends the nautical styles from Topman:

Courtesy Topman.com

The trendy British store carries a very successful line from Kate Moss, who is in town for the opening. Below, Ms. Moss arriving at the store Tuesday.

Observant readers may have noted the skirt worn by Ms. Momsen is not being showcased in today’s Pretty in Pink. It seemed a trifle short for someone of TP’s advanced age and tedious taste.

As we appear to be awash in G2 news (and we’re not talking about London) today, has everyone heard that Chace Crawford is likely to take Zac Effron’s place in the remake of the film Footloose. It seems Mr. Crawford had a particularly solid audition for the role Mr. Effron decided was not right for him.

We thought you might get a kick out of the Daily Mail comments on a wedding gown adorned with tartan plaid bows that was worn in the fashion show:

“While many of the stars suited their kilts, Miss Scotland Stephanie Willemse, 20, made a fashion faux pas with her catwalk outfit.

Strolling down the aisle in a white dressed covered in tartan bows, the beauty queen looked like a toilet roll cover with her huge skirt.”

AP/The Daily Mail

The photo caption referred to it as a “Meringue Moment”. That sounds a little harsh…no?

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A few sales at “preppy retailers,” we wanted to share, including the Polo Ralph Lauren Friends and Family sale.

Offering 30% off, the sale runs through April 14. To receive the discount use promo code RLSP2009 at checkout. As we have been chatting about both Gossip Girl and Ralph Lauren, this seemed an appropriate item to highlight: the Cotton Cricket Sport Coat.

Another retailer whose classic lines many preps enjoy, Tory Burch, is offering up to 60% off original prices.

Oops. Not a look we favor, but then, we are just stuck in our ways and cannot remember any daytime occasion where sequins might be deemed appropriate.

The press has been brutal in their comments on the asymmetrical argyle sweater by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, TP is more than fond of many Watanabe creations, they are just fabulous. Let’s take a peek at what the Daily Mail has to say:

“… a garish golf-style cardigan… would have looked more at home on the golf course, like the jumper worn by Nick Faldo in 1993…

Even the Huffington Post was negative, as seen in an unusually acerbic Bonnie Fuller column on yesterday’s look for the Buckingham Palace social call as well as the argyle sweater:

“Sadly, the First Lady’s first fashion messup wasn’t a random event. It now appears she’s on a losing streak. New photos of her in an argyle cardigan and hip-extending blue prom skirt on her second day in London indicate we have a nuch bigger problem on our hands.”

Ouch. All of this after two shocking events on Wednesday:

The shocking etiquette breach when Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen. (One doesn’t touch Her Majesty. Gasp!)

Even more amazing than #1 is the fact the Queen then put her arm around Mrs. Obama! (Double gasp.)

To be honest, the Palace has made it clear no one is disturbed by the ‘breach.’ We’re thinking Europa Fox and/or Queen Bee Swain will be able to shed more light on these developments.

Today we have a jumble of all things preppy, or something akin to that, so let’s jump in with the topic near and dear to almost everyone’s pocketbook, the cost of enhancing one’s wardrobe. (Yes, we are completely suspending the ‘no discussion of the M-word’ rule, as it is simply too top-of-mind and relevant to today’s content. So there.)

Regular readers may recall our posts last November and this January about permanent price cuts being implemented at J. Crew. One example we shared was the Jane suede ballet flat; its original selling price was $98, less than what Crew previously charged for similar shoes. (One note: the Jane style flat is now marked down to $59.99 as part of the company’s Final Sale; this season’s version of the shoe is the Marjorie flat.)

The prep-style retailer is extending its pricepoint sensitivities to online marketing efforts, now offering “Instant Gratification” groups at the Crew website.

J. Crew

The featured merchandise is below $100; there are links for both Men’s and Women’s “gratification” items.

Now other retailers are sounding the same theme. Lacoste says they will be lowering the price of some merchandise, according to a column Jeanine Poggi recently did for Forbes.

“Coach is also planning to trim profit margins, reducing its average handbag price to $300 from $335.”

As we mentioned in this post on their soon-to-debut Poppy line, Coach is using a variety of strategies to offer customers different price levels.

Perhaps the most frightening item in the Forbes story is the insight on other brands offered by a retail expert, Eugene Fram. His inside perspective on two companies near and dear to TP’s heart is chilling:

“In terms of pricing, some of the organizations are now on the defensive, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s,” he says. “It wouldn’t be surprising to see price reductions of 50%-plus in their attempts to avoid Chapter 11 proceedings.”

Ms. Breckenridge has the unique distinction of actually attending Princeton while also portraying a character on the Gossip Girl show. She plays the role of Rachel Carr, a new English teacher at the hypothetical private school on the city’s Upper East Side the show is based on. According to Preppy, Preppy blog, Preppy Princess, Preppy Princess blog, preppy style, preppy fashions, preppy look, prep senior writer Elinor Flynn’s story, “Spotted: L. drinking coffee in Chancellor Green Cafe,” not everyone on the show was a stranger to Ms. Breckenridge:

“She actually wasn’t a stranger to everyone on set: She and Leighton Meester, who plays the delightfully conniving Blair on the show, knew each other in high school and ran into each other a few times when they both lived in Los Angeles.”

When asked about life on the set, the actress offered an interesting perspective:

“The most striking feature of the “Gossip Girl” set? The number of dogs running around. Meester, Blake Lively and Taylor Momsen — to name a few — all arrive to work with a pup in tow. “All the dogs hang out in the hair and makeup room,” Breckenridge said. “There are always dogs coming up to you. It’s nice.”

The story’s subhead is “‘Gossip Girl’ Laura Breckenridge ’10 on school, acting and kissing Penn Badgley“. We’ll let you scan the article for that information.

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We close today with a Pretty in Pink from St. John’s SoCa Collection.

SoCa by St. John at Saks

And while running a bit (a bit?!) more than we currently have on hand in pin money, we still adore the Silk Taffeta Jacket, now available at Saks. To be honest, it is just making our Spring Fever worse! For some reason, it shrieks Muffy Martini at us, perhaps because it is from the Southern California line. (You know, the younger, hipper line we pretend we can wear…sigh.)

Today we start with a sneak peek at the next limited edition shoe collection for Target. These are from the Miss Trish of Capri for Target line, due in stores and online April 5. Below, the Starfish Sandals.

Courtesy Target

The collection will be available until mid-June; price points are going to be about $29.99.

Courtesy Target

And don’t forget the Felix Rey handbag line due at the Boutique on March 29! Below, a photo from the designing duo’s website; we do not expect to see this bag at Target.

Courtesy Felix Rey

This next photo is hypothetically a bag from the upcoming Target collaboration.

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And thanks to the always-on-top-of-things Nitrolicious, here are a few more bags from the Felix Rey line:

Courtesy Target via Nitrolicious.com

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Now you know, there is absolutely no way TP can breeze through the Tar-szay site without adding at least a Pretty in Pink to the mix. Or an Adventure in Argyle. Or both. And these little beauties seem to land somewhere in there!

Women’s Wear Daily reports that Coach is debuting a new line, “Poppy,” they hope will appeal to a wider demo. We are speculating this shall either be a smash hit or utter disaster for the upscale leather goods firm.

Below we share a bag from the collection. The. Red. Sequin. Handbag.

Coach Courtesy photo via WWD

The poppy flower has been associated with Coach for some time, featured on different items. The story describes the collection:

“… from a tote covered in a profusion of red sequins to “Gossip Girl”-worthy tiaras to pochettes covered in strands of gold beads.”

Here are a few of the aforementioned tiaras, although we wonder if they could possibly be headbands? Which would actually be more in keeping with Gossip Girl.

Coach Courtesy photo via WWD

Coach president Reed Krakoff is quoted throughout the story:

““It’s going to excite the existing Coach customer, as well as draw in a lot of age groups. It’s been a fun exploration of who the Coach woman can be.”

Coach Courtesy photo via WWD

Excited? In a manner of speaking. You could say that.

And just as some lovely designs sans logos were popping up on our accessories radar, like the ever-so-wonderful Bleecker Clutch:

Coach Bleecker Clutch

Sigh.

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Speaking of Gossip Girl and accessories, we were intrigued by this look on Leighton Meester. She and co-star Chace Crawford are seen working on the show in New York Monday.

Also spotted on the set Monday, Taylor Momsen, in a look not quite as tailored as Ms. Leighton’s.

JustJared.Buzznet.com

Fans of the hit show will be pleased to know the CW Network announced yesterday it has renewed G2 for another season.

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Yesterday we read a sad SOTT (Sign of the Times) over at Mom x 2 about retailer Conrad Egan closing in Florida. Then last night TQM (the Queen Mother) called, inquiring about us being up to speed on the looming closure of Walton-Pierce.

“We know what this means: another ending. More closure to days of gentlemen and ladies, fine handwriting on embossed stationery, certain conventions of class and character long associated with the Grosse Pointes.”

“The store also famously seized upon the Lilly Pulitzer-style, pink-and-green, country club look that became synonymous with Grosse Pointe matrons,…”

There was some angst here at the Prepatorium about the direction Ms. Burch is taking with this Fall’s Collection, and more than a few readers echoed these concerns. Below, the portion of the WWD story that we shared yesterday:

“Tory Burch is trading in her sandals and ballet flats for a pair of ready-to-rumble combat boots. This season, she’s gone streetwise and edgy.”

“Burch still has those charming ladyfied pieces, as in the polkadot blouse and a prettily allover petaled jacket. The rest just skews oh-so-darkly glam. “I’m pushing the limits,” said Burch. “There’s a lot of leather.”

There is.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

As far as there being “… charming and ladyfied…” styles, we scanned each and every look and encountered difficulty locating much we would call ‘ladyfied’ in the collection. There are a few pieces reminiscent of the Tory Burch style existing customers expect to see from the designer, including this dress.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

As well as this coat, not entirely flattering in the shot below.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

One last style:

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

The Burch show attracted its share of entertainment industry stars, including Kanye West, LL Cool J and Russell Simmons.

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

Women’s Wear Daily attributes some of the directional shift in the line to the designer’s romantic life:

Also seen in the photo with Ms. Lively are socialite Amanda Hearst, David Lauren, and designer/model Lauren Bush. You may remember our previous posts showing other G2 stars (Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen) at other shows earlier this week; this was the first appearance for Ms. Lively.

Below, a few looks from the Fall 2009 RTW (ready to wear) Collection:

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen

Another look:

PHOTO: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images

One more shot below; we promise to share more from the Ralph Lauren show in our next post.

PHOTO: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images

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Because we all want to pursue fiscally friendly investments, we leave you with a few more opportunities for savings, starting with the latest J. Crew promotion: 30% off Select Women’s, Men’s & Kid’s pants online and in stores.

Speaking of the Crew, has everyone seen the ABC news stories about Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts? There is a possibility she will wear J. Crew to the Oscars this weekend, as detailed in this story.

PHOTO: Ida Mae Astute ABC News

The coral dress on the far left is the J. Crew, in silk tricotine. The lavender in the center is silk chiffon by J. Mendel, and the cobalt blue on the far right is a Reem Acra creation.

It is a grand and glorious day, despite the wild wind outside and prospect of more s-n-o-w. Bleh. But it is warm and bright here in the corner condo at Princess Intergalactic HQ, we are doing all we can to create our own sunshine!

While it is always fun to look at the styles being shown at New York Fashion Week, it is even more fun to share a philanthropic story about the goings-on in the city. In conjunction with the opening of his new flagship store on Fifth Avenue, Giorgio Armani donated $1 million to the Fund for Public Schools in New York.

PHOTO: Diane Bondareff/AP

That is news that brings a smile to this camper’s face, it is wonderful to see anyone sharing like this.

One could almost term the celebrities ubiquitous at the gala celebrating the store’s opening, including one of our favorites, January Jones of Mad Men.

Mr. Browne is also known for the length (or lack thereof) of the pants in his men’s suit designs. Mayor Bloomberg and Caroline Kennedy joined Mr. Armani as part of the ceremony marking the designer’s donation to the City’s schools.

You know that TP is simply ga-ga over the pink coat. Below, four more looks from this morning’s show.

PHOTO COLLAGE: Getty Images via The Telegraph

We shall have additional photos as promised. We intend to do the same with another prep-style designer, Tory Burch, who showed her Fall 2009 collection yesterday.

PHOTO: Imaxtree

According to this story from the WWD staff, the designer has shifted her approach:

“Tory Burch is trading in her sandals and ballet flats for a pair of ready-to-rumble combat boots. This season, she’s gone streetwise and edgy.”

Here is one more style:

PHOTO: Giovanni Giannoni

The WWD story cautions those fond of a little more tailored or conservative look not to be alarmed by the edgier pieces. Apparently the collection also includes designs more familiar to the Tory Burch customer.

Actually, Ms. Burch was in the front row at a show herself, viewing Narciso Rodriguez yesterday.